"A good memory is needed after one has lied"
About this Quote
Corneille’s line cuts with the cool precision of someone who understands performance as a moral technology. “A good memory is needed after one has lied” doesn’t bother condemning the lie upfront; it treats deceit as a logistical problem. That’s the sting. The sentence assumes the liar’s real peril isn’t guilt but continuity: once you invent a story, you’re suddenly responsible for maintaining an entire alternate reality, scene after scene, character beat after character beat.
As a dramatist in 17th-century France, Corneille worked inside a culture obsessed with honor, reputation, and the fragile architecture of public standing. In that world, a lie isn’t a private lapse; it’s a social wager. The subtext is almost bureaucratic: lying creates paperwork. You must remember what you said, to whom, with what tone, and what implications it set loose. Forget a detail and the lie collapses under cross-examination, not unlike a plot hole that pulls the audience out of belief.
There’s also a sly meta-theatrical wink. The liar becomes an author forced to keep their story consistent, while everyone else becomes an unwilling audience trained to spot inconsistencies. Corneille’s intent feels less like preaching and more like exposure: deception demands an intellect disciplined enough to manage it, which makes dishonesty look less romantic and more like tedious maintenance. The real punishment is not divine; it’s cognitive.
As a dramatist in 17th-century France, Corneille worked inside a culture obsessed with honor, reputation, and the fragile architecture of public standing. In that world, a lie isn’t a private lapse; it’s a social wager. The subtext is almost bureaucratic: lying creates paperwork. You must remember what you said, to whom, with what tone, and what implications it set loose. Forget a detail and the lie collapses under cross-examination, not unlike a plot hole that pulls the audience out of belief.
There’s also a sly meta-theatrical wink. The liar becomes an author forced to keep their story consistent, while everyone else becomes an unwilling audience trained to spot inconsistencies. Corneille’s intent feels less like preaching and more like exposure: deception demands an intellect disciplined enough to manage it, which makes dishonesty look less romantic and more like tedious maintenance. The real punishment is not divine; it’s cognitive.
Quote Details
| Topic | Honesty & Integrity |
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